Seek Truth And You Will Find Redemption
by JD the Literature Addict
Summary: On a less than routine mission, Hatake Kakashi meets a servant boy who will change his life irrevocably.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I am neither male nor Japanese and my name is most certainly not Kishimoto Masashi. Therefore, _Naruto _and its characters are not mine.

OOI'mOOJustOOAOOLineOOBreak,OOIgnoreOOMe!OO

Crouched in the rafters of the Water Daimyo's palace, Hatake Kakashi silently wondered if he was in the twilight zone. It was the only explanation that made sense, because the nobles of the court were supposed to be sniping and sneering at each other; _not _amiably remembering past scandals and teasing the younger nobles about possible affairs. It just wasn't right. If he had been a lesser man, he would have been gibbering in senseless terror; as it was, he was mildly creeped out and definitely nervous.

The seventeen-year-old ANBU had been sent by Sandaime-sama to Mizu-no-Kuni, specifically the Daimyo's palace, to ascertain if the Feudal lord was truly planning an attack on Konohagakure and Hi-no-Kuni. One of Konoha's Intelligence Division on a mission in Mizu had heard several drunken captains crowing about "finally getting to beat those Fire bastards into their proper place". The agent had reported to the Hokage as soon as he could with the troubling news.

If true, it did not bode well for Konoha: while not as prosperous as the Land of Fire, the Water samurai and the shinobi of Kirigakure were well-trained and excellent fighters. An invasion would, in the best case scenario, leave the Hidden Leaf with heavy losses and they could not afford that only three years after the Kyuubi Attack. This might be why the Water Daimyo was planning an invasion, even if it did not succeed it would leave Hi-no-Kuni so paralyzed it could not possibly recover its position as the most powerful of the Shinobi Godaikoku for decades, if ever.

The nobles were united, whether about an invasion plan or something else the teen was not sure, but it needed to be looked into. Kakashi crept out of the hall soundless, his mind racing. He needed to know where the offices of the Daimyo and his chief lords were. Any incriminating documents would be found there or in the Daimyo's chambers.

All he had to do now was find a sufficiently timid and unnoticeable servant, bully the information out, and replace their memory with the Sharingan. 'Easier than wrapping my leg bindings.'

OOI'mOOJustOOAOOLineOOBreak,OOIgnoreOOMe!OO

Coming up next:

"I-if I help y-you, s-shinobi-sama, will- will you take m-me with you?"


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I am neither male nor Japanese and my name is most certainly not Kishimoto Masashi. Therefore, _Naruto _and its characters are not mine.

OOI'mOOJustOOAOOLineOOBreak,OOIgnoreOOMe!OO

ANBU Ryōken drifted shadow-quiet down stone and wood hallways until he found one suitably out of the way, and settled in a nook to wait for an appropriate victim. It took rather longer than it should have, as every servant that came along for hours was either too high-up looking or so terrified they'd probably die of cardiac arrest the moment they saw his stylized hound mask.

At last a light tinkling sound reached the assassin's ears and he shifted to peer down the hall carefully. Walking in his direction on silent feet was a young male servant in a pale blue yukata. He carried a tray of empty tea ware; the tinkling sound came from a multitude of tiny blue and white glass beads braided into shoulder-length ebony hair.

The boy, who looked about fourteen, had the tanned skin of the south islands of Mizu-no-Kuni and a thin horizontal scar across the bridge of his nose and extending into either cheek. Even with this, he could have been called handsome, if not for the slightly starved look of his face and the dull blankness of his expression.

Kakashi had seen that dull blankness before, it was the look of someone who had gone through so much suffering, they locked down their consciousness and thought only as much as necessary. He considered several moments and decided the boy would do well enough, these kinds of people, though unstable, usually didn't mind helping 'the enemy'.

Springing down, Ryōken caught the servant by the collar, and demanded coldly, "Where are the offices of the lords!" For a few seconds the younger teen simply stared at the ANBU, before he processed the situation and paled abruptly.

Only when the masked shinobi growled out "Answer" did the black-haired boy speak, and it was with the raspy voice of one who had not done so for a very long time and a shaky stutter.

"T-the l-lords o-offices are o-on the f-fourth tier, s-shinobi-sama."

"And the Daimyo's?"

A gulp, "H-his l-lordships are on t-the s-seventh tier, n-northeast c-corner, s-shinobi-sama."

"So that's why there are Kiri nin all over the top roofs," Kakashi murmured to himself, crossing his arms.

A timid, "W-what do y-you n-need to do, s-shinobi-sama?"

"Since you won't remember this anyway, determine if there's a plot against Konoha; why?"

A deep breath, "I-if I help y-you, s-shinobi-sama, will- will you take m-me with you?"

The silver teen's arms dropped and he stared at his younger counterpart, "You want to get out of here so bad you'd ask a complete stranger for help?"

A small nod, "Y-yes, shinobi-sama."

Kakashi observed him quietly, before slowly asking "What can you help me with, exactly? And stop stuttering."

"I – know where everything is, and I can pass unnoticed almost everywhere. I know what will work on whoever you want to, uh, coerce?"

For a minute, the ANBU thought and the servant waited breathlessly.

"Alright then, you will help me, and I will bring you with me when I leave. You may call me Ryōken until we're out of here."

The boy beamed, "Thank you, shinobi-sama, I will not fail you! I am Iruka." His brows furrowed as he thought. "_Umino_ Iruka."

"Then, Umino-san, keep your things ready, when we leave, it will be fast."

OOI'mOOJustOOAOOLineOOBreak,OOIgnoreOOMe!OO

Ryōken – Hound

Yukata – look it up on Wikipedia, I couldn't figure out what servants wore, so this was the next best.

Shinobi – more appropriate term for ninja.

Mizu-no-Kuni – Land of Water ( Hi-no-Kuni means 'Land of Fire')

A/N: And that is Chapter 2. Just to let you all know, this Iruka will not be the loveable, hot-tempered teacher for a very long time. Right now he is just as emotionally damaged as Kakashi, if not more so. If you hadn't gotten the idea, Ryōken is something of a split personality, it's the killer ANBU traits. I'm going to post as often as I can, which should be about once a week. Thanks for reading! Let me know how I can improve it, and tell me when you realized the servant was Iruka.

JD


End file.
